


Lone Heart

by RobinPlaysTrumpet15



Series: Limits [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Heartache, Heartbreak, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Napping, Not Canon Compliant - Kingdom Hearts III, Post-Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Sleep, Sleeping Together, Sora Needs a Hug, Soul Bond, Spoilers - Kingdom Hearts III
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 22:02:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17670938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinPlaysTrumpet15/pseuds/RobinPlaysTrumpet15
Summary: Sora just wants to sleep. He still has Riku and he's a good napping buddy, but regardless, everything feels empty and lonely and exhausting. After Xehanort is gone, Ansem the Wise might just have some insights to Sora's current predicament.





	Lone Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I hope you guys like this.
> 
> WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS FOR THE END OF KINGDOM HEARTS III, PLEASE DON'T READ THIS STORY.

“Sora… I know your mind’s made up, but this is wrong. You need to rest.”

He didn’t want to hear that. His chest ached. He didn’t want to be told that he couldn’t do this on his own. He already believed that. He didn’t need to hear it from the king too.

But… Riku would know. He would understand.

So he turned his eyes to the seventeen year old, pleading for an answer.

He found teal blue eyes looking back at him, the white reddening around his irises. And slowly, he shook his head.

“Please, Sora. Listen,” he pleaded. “I know you want to find Kairi, so do I. But now isn’t the time. We can do it together.”

No… no. Don’t say that.

“I know how you feel,” Riku continued, “but I promise this will be easier with all of us. Going alone isn’t the way to do this.”

Sora’s throat tightened, he sniffled against the weird tickling sensation in his nose that usually precluded the tears welling up in his eyes. A shaky breath stuttered into his lungs, bumbling back out as his chest seemed to cave in. Tears slipped down his cheeks and blurred the sight of Riku’s own tears.

“But-” he protested, cutting himself off with a gasp as a body collided with his, pinning him with their arms.

“Sora…”

There was silver in his immediate field of vision, and black and yellow fabric. He sobbed at the tightness of the hold he was in, the closest he’d felt to any of person in a long time.

“Ri-riku-uu…”

Sora’s arms moved without permission and came up to wrap around his best friend as well.

“God, please don’t leave,” Riku sighed on a sob into Sora’s neck. “Don’t you go too.”

They were both losing their breath, hearts beating fast and out of control as they clung together, wearing themselves out on their sudden wave of emotion.

“We’ll never be together…” Sora whimpered.

He didn’t even notice when his knees gave out and he dropped his weight onto Riku, the two of them falling to their knees on the hard, dusty ground. How perfect that the first time in years they have the opportunity to just feel together be in this empty, desolate, and tragedy stricken place.

“You’ll be with her one day, Sora,” Riku said firmly, sounding marginally steadier. “I promise.”

Riku pulled off of him a bit, but suddenly Sora couldn’t stand to have him leave.

“No!” he squeaked, curling his arms around Riku’s back harder. “No, no please… Stay… Don’t go…”

*

Riku’s eyebrows furrowed curiously, his eyes shooting down to land upon the top of his best friend’s hair. The smaller brunette was clinging to him like if he let up, he’d disappear. And maybe that was telling right there, but he’d just said…

Movement behind Sora caught his eye. There was Roxas (clearly Roxas because of the black coat he was wearing), making a heart shape out of his hands and then pointing to Sora and then to Riku.

And that was even more than less than unhelpful.

But if Sora didn’t want him to let go, he wouldn’t.

Or, he wouldn’t until they were eventually told that they really did need to get up and go. Probably back to Yen Sid’s tower or hell, even Radiant Garden. There might be a better place considering they’d added three people to their group. Two, considering…

Riku shook his head.

*

He wasn’t crying anymore, but he wouldn’t lift his face from the crook of Riku’s neck anyway. He didn’t want to. It was warm and familiar here, and Riku still smelled like home. Crisp sea breeze and salty ocean water and clean forest grass. Or maybe Sora was imagining it. He wanted to be home so bad. Though he supposed they had just been there… what? A day and a half ago? Maybe.

It dawned on him that he might be falling asleep, the thought coming so slowly, as if being dragged up from the bottom of the ocean. He couldn’t open his eyes if he wanted to, they were so heavy. And right here was just… comfortable. He was heavy and limp and he thinks his limbs might be turning into something like… lead or something just as dense and heavy.

Through his slowly darkening haze of thought, he might have heard voices speaking around him. And Riku must have joined the conversation because Sora definitely felt the vibration of his voice from his chest. But all that did was lure Sora further down.

He hardly even felt himself being lifted by a strong set of arms and repositioned before fully slipping away from reality.

*

He dreamt of their one night of respite together on the island. They’d gone ahead and camped out there. It would have been too much effort and time to explain everything to their parents, and Sora didn’t want to worry them more with the idea that their children were going off to what could potentially be their deaths in the morning.

No, they couldn’t do that to them.

So they stayed on the play island and watched the sun set below the horizon. Something about this world seemed so small now, in Sora’s mind. Perhaps this was what Riku had felt all along, growing up and wanting to know more, see more, do more.

And then they laid on the sand together, curled up next to one another like they had done at sleepovers once upon a time as children. The ocean surf licked at the wet sand just feet away from them, but they were used to that. And it they were a little damp in the morning, so be it. Wind magic was a blessing.

And come morning light, they were in the same positions they’d always ended up in. Sora nearly on top of Riku, the older curling around him, and Kairi just peacefully on her stomach a foot away, one hand reaching out and resting carefully on Riku’s shoulder. It was odd, maybe, but it worked for them. The three friends, ever connected, even in sleep.

Kairi had asked them to share a paopu with her. She’d explained how she didn’t want to be left behind anymore and that she just couldn’t bear to lose either one of them, no matter what.

They had both agreed, and why not? This could possibly be the single most important battle of their lives, with too high a probability that one or more of them wouldn’t come home. They needed all the help they could get.

Except… Sora would never tell her, but he and Riku had already shared a paopu once. They’d really just been kids at the time, and hadn’t fully realized that it was just a legend yet, or that it was more symbolic than anything else. It had been important to them then, and it was important to Sora now. He wasn’t even sure that Riku remembered, it was so long ago. It might have even been before Kairi came to the islands.

But it had worked so far, and Sora didn’t want to mess that up.

What was one more paopu between friends anyway?

*

He didn’t wake up in the crook of Riku’s neck, which for half a moment, made him much more disoriented and left a hollow, lonely ache in his chest. It was like when he’d been little, having dreams about playing or talking with a friend just to wake up, about to say something to them, to find yourself awfully, horribly alone. The room around him wasn’t one he recognized, and that made it worse, coupled with the fact that no one else was in there.

The entire room was silent, and no noise drifted in through the walls either.

Alone.

A gasp ripped itself out of his chest, tears welling up as if they could fill the empty void sitting right where he’d thought his heart had been.

Was this… because of Kairi? He… he missed her, sure, and he was angry that she was gone. But… no… this wasn’t that…

What was this…

Sora shook himself, wiping at his eyes, ridding them of tears before they fell.

Might as well figure out what world he’s in.

*

Radiant Garden. Specifically, the castle. He’d never been in any of the rooms aside from Ansem’s study and his computer lab. So it was weird to find himself suddenly standing in a hallway, bright with one wall almost just all windows. They were spilling in sunlight and warming the corridor.

It was so different from the last time he’d been here.

Footsteps rounded the corner to his left, revealing Ienzo, with Riku by his side.

“You say he hasn’t woken up at all?” Ienzo was saying, eyes turned to the teen beside him.

“Yeah, and I’ve known Sora to be a sound sleeper, but… I don’t know. This feels different.” Riku clarified.

The scientist hummed to himself. “That is interesting-”

Then both sets of eyes landed on Sora, standing there in the hallway just outside the room he’d came from.

“Oh!” Ienzo said, pausing only briefly in his steps, then continuing closer. “It is certainly good to see you awake, Sora. Riku was beginning to get worried.”

Riku’s cheeks flushed slightly when Sora turned his eyes to him.

“We- we all were.”

Ienzo sent a curiously confused look at him, then looked back at Sora.

“Well, since you’re up, I’d like to have you checked over, if that’s alright with you, Sora.”

“Oh, uh, sure. If you think that’s best,” he agreed with a slight smile.

The man smiled. “Wonderful. Let’s go find Ansem and Even. They will both be of more help than I.”

“Huh? How come?”

They started back down the hall together the way Ienzo and Riku had come from.

“Well, I’m better with computers and making sense of the data that is collected. However, Ansem the Wise used to work as a physician, and Even has his work with replicas, so they will be of more use in a physical exam,” he explained.

Okay, sure. That made sense. Finally, something that Sora didn’t need translated into something he can understand.

*

Once back in Ansem’s study, Ienzo led them through into the no longer secret computer room. There they found Ansem with Even and Aeleus, studying something on the screen.

“Master,” Ienzo greeted. “I have Sora and Riku.”

Ansem turned. He smiled at them, approaching and placing a hand on their shoulders.

“Ah! Hello, lads,” he said pleasantly. “It is good to see you both in one piece. And my, how you’ve both grown since last we saw one another.”

Even stood away from them, keeping no eye contact. Sora didn’t remember him from his time as Vexen in the Organization, but he supposed that perhaps was something to do with Castle Oblivion, which no one actually seemed to want to tell him about.

Sora mustered a smile. The aching feeling in his chest was lessening, but only just, making the smile difficult to maintain.

“Hi!”

Ansem chuckled brightly at him. “Well, I would like you both checked over, however, Sora, there are more questions attached to you. So why don’t we start with you?”

His heartbeat quickened. It was just an exam, that’s all. It was normal. He hadn’t been to a doctor since… way too long ago. A physical wellness exam was probably long overdue.

He nodded at the man and let himself be led away and given a hospital gown and a loose fitting pair of gray sweatpants to change into. When he’d glanced nervously back at Riku, the older teen had promised that he wasn’t going anywhere.

The empty void in his chest suddenly didn’t seem quite so wide after the smile he’d received.

*

And it was exactly what he’d expected. He’d been weighed, had his height written down, his blood pressure taken. He’d had to try not to hate it too much when the cold stethoscope touched his chest and then a few places on his back while he breathed. Ansem had checked his reflexes with the little rubber hammer thing. His ears were checked with an otoscope and he had been asked to light track with his eyes a few different ways. They checked his hearing and his eyesight. The exam chair he’d been sat in was reclined, and Ansem had asked if it was okay to touch him and then felt for irregularities along his abdomen. And after that, he’d put the chair back up, had him sit there very still, and waited while some computer thing scanned him.

He learned that he was a little shorter than average for his home world, but that was fine. He was actually underweight, but not by too much, and it stemmed from the year he’d spent asleep. His blood pressure was good, his lungs clear and functioning perfectly. His ears and eyes were in good working order, everything seemed to be doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing.

The full body scan had been something about… non physical injuries and issues, or something like that. Ansem had noticed that Sora hadn’t made any sense of the words he’d said and just simplified it to “we’re checking your heart”.

And yes, that made more sense.

So while the computers were doing their thing, Sora was allowed out of the exam chair, and Riku took his place, now in his own hospital gown and sweatpants.

Ansem did everything with Riku that he’d done with Sora, with the exception of the final heart scan.

“How come you’re not checking Riku’s heart?” Sora asked curiously. He shifted his weight back and forth on his feet, shuffling in place and feeling awkward. Riku went to stand until Ansem waved him back down with a comment about how he could stay there if he wanted. So Riku did and just opened his arms for Sora and ushered him closer.

“We do not need to scan Riku’s heart because we have not been given any reason to,” Ansem explained as Sora joined Riku and sat almost half on his lap.

Maybe he was being a little clingy and out of character here but… listen… Sora had no excuse for this. He wanted to be close to someone, and Riku was that someone right now. Not that he could think of anyone else that he’d want this with, but still. Riku helped fill the void just a bit.

“Oh…” Sora mumbled in understanding. He supposed that made sense. He was the one who’d had three other hearts living inside his…

Ansem joined Ienzo at the computer. “Well, if you two would like to go and join the others for a little while as he wait for the results of your scan to come back, you may. I’m sure they’re all anxious to see you.”

Sora’s eyes drifted down towards the floor.

“Do you want to?” Riku asked lowly close to Sora’s ear.

He thought about it for a moment, conjuring up images of Donald and Goofy throwing themselves at him and Mickey laughing and Axel says something about getting stuff memorized and… there are more now. Aqua and Terra and… Ven and Roxas and Xion.

Something pulled him towards those three. Something in his chest reached out for them, even though he honestly couldn’t think of what their mannerisms are to save his life. Though, he supposed that was to be expected. He’d hardly spent any time around Ven and Roxas before and… oh, he’d seen Xion all of once.

But they still called to him.

So slowly, he nodded, knowing his face was still set in a relaxed, blank expression.

“Alright,” Riku agreed, pushing them both to their feet from the chair. “Come on, I know where they are.”

*

Sora could hear the commotion from down the hall, and instantly regretted his decision.

He wanted to see them, but god he was still tired. He just wanted to curl up somewhere with someone… (someones?) and just sleep until someone came to wake him up again.

Riku looked at him strangely when he subconsciously pulled up short a few feet away from the door.

“Sora?” His voice caught Sora’s attention. “Are you alright?”

He just stood there, eyes locked on the open doorway of the room.

“If you don’t want to go in, we don’t have to.”

Slowly, so slowly, as if it was the hardest decision he’d ever made in his life, Sora took a step back, then another, until he was shaking his head and backing awake. Riku started shushing him gently, turning him around and wrapping an arm around his shoulders to lead him away, supposedly in the direction of the room Sora woke up in.

Sora ended up drifting into sleep again, curled into Riku’s side and tucking his nose back into the skin of Riku’s neck. This time, sleep came swiftly, claiming him after finding a comfortable position and taking a deep breath, registering the fresh scent of soft scented bar soap and shampoo before dropping off completely.

*

There was no fair judge of time for when he awoke later to the gentle, sharp rapping of knuckles on the bedroom door. Riku was still there, seemingly just as groggy as he was. If he’d been more awake, he would have laughed at the look on his best friend’s face.

The door cracked open slightly, Aqua poking her head into the room slowly.

“I’m sorry to wake you,” she apologized with a soft smile, “but you two really are needed. They couldn’t wait any longer.”

“For what?” Riku asked, sitting up and dislodging Sora from where he’d been laying. Sora bit back the groan of frustration that threatened to spill out of him, ending up with a slightly put out huff instead.

“The results from your exam, Sora. Ansem found something rather important.”

*

The secret study was filled with everyone this time around, Ven, Roxas, and Xion notably apart from the others in front.

Sora was ushered forward to join them. He turned his eyes to Riku, but he was still just gently pushed forward to stand between Roxas and Ven.

“Ah, Sora, Riku, you’re here. Good,” Ansem said, turning away from the computer. “The result of your exam was a little concerning.”

“What?” Sora asked, any and all shyness suddenly dissipating in light of his curiosity. “Why?”

“Well,” Ienzo started, pulling something up on the computer screen, “your heart now solely belongs to you as it should, however…”

He seemed unsure how to continue for a moment.

“However…?” Riku prompted.

“Your heart is unstable. You spent so long connected to others’ and harbouring other hearts inside yours that without them, your heart isn’t sure exactly… who it’s supposed to be, so to speak.” Ienzo turned back to the screen and clicked around for a moment. “We’ve also noticed something in regards to your soul.”

Sora’s heart dropped straight into the pit of his stomach. There was more? As if that news hadn’t been bad enough…

“Your soul is attempting to make up for… well…”

Ansem stepped in again. “Your soul is used to supporting more than one heart. So now that the others are released, your soul is trying to make up for that by… reaching out. Specifically, for these three here.”

“Well, gosh, what does that mean?” Mickey asked.

Ansem sighed. “Likely that the farther you get from them, the further your soul will attempt to stretch itself.”

Sora swallowed against the lump forming in the back of his throat. “And… will that hurt me?” He tried to ignore the borderline scared looks Ven and Roxas were sending him on either side.

“We are not sure. But all we can suggest is that for the time being, we should keep you close to those your heart has formed unbreakable bonds with. These three,” Ansem gestured to the two blondes and Xion, “and Riku, as well.”

No one spoke. All eyes were on Sora, and that was getting uncomfortable. He didn’t want to be looked at or seen. He… he wanted Riku and he wanted to just go back to his nap because he was tired and he’d been through a lot, as had they all, but the best course of action just seemed to be to sleep.

Sleep until it all just went away.

“Was there… anything else?” Riku asked hesitantly. When had he appeared at Sora’s shoulder?

“No, that is all. We’d like to keep you all close and monitor you and your reactions for the time being. I know you were all looking forward to getting home, and I am truly sorry for delaying that, but this is pressing. If the separation begins to harm Sora, we may need to look at some… alternate solutions…” Ansem replied grimly.

No. Nope. No. Just… not gonna happen.

Sora wanted to be anywhere but here. On a beach, building a raft, playing in the ocean, sleeping in bed, playing in the shower and pretending the spray was just hot rain.

Those thoughts seemed a little out of the blue but… comforting. Set up a rain umbrella on a hill with a low camp chair and sit there and pretend to be an adult-

Now, that thought was concerning. He hadn’t thought something like that since he was… really small.

“You may go.”

Slowly, the others began to file out of the room. Sora was left facing Roxas, Xion, and Ven with Riku at his shoulder.

“Do you want to…” Ven started.

“We could go get some ice cream,” Xion suggested with an energetic sort of smile when Ven couldn’t think of anything.

And honestly… Sora just wanted to sleep.

“I’m…” Sora started. “I’m tired. I’m just tired, guys. Can we do something later?”

“But Ansem said-” Roxas tried, cutting off at Sora’s frantic head shaking.

Sora stepped back, retreating around Riku and back towards the door.

“I just… I- later. I promise.”

He was okay. Sora was perfectly capable of living without constant contact.

And with that, he turned on his heel and bolted from the room.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Please let me know if you liked this story. My brother said that he was really into it last night when I had him read it. This was actually supposed to be really short and just a rewrite of the scene that it starts with, but then at some point it got a mind of its own and how here we are. There will probably be more parts in this series sometime in the future, so stay tuned if you liked it. Thanks again!


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